Jimmy Rollins is in the lineup tonight. And how do you feel about that? He was given a talk-to by Charlie Manuel about once again failing to run out a pop up in the Mets series. Manuel said Rollins “manned up.” It’s unlikely he’ll ever learn from his mistakes, but Charlie probably should have benched him a game just to send a message. Not that it matters, but with a team of youngsters surrounding Rollins, he should be showing some more leadership qualities.

I’ve gotten into arguments with people about the whole “leadership” thing, but I do feel it exists. He is the elder statesman and players look up to him. Rollins’ longevity has made him one of the best shortstops in the game, and over a long period. But when he has these letdowns, it drains an already struggling team. Manuel said it himself, that he believes it could affect the rest of the team. My thought is, if you’re going to make millions playing a kids game, you should be going hard most of the time. Those few times he completely dogs it will always stand out.

And still no Domonic Brown, not sure what the issue is. If it’s his knee, it was clearly worse than he was letting on. But more injuries are stunting his growth.

Can you believe summer is nearly through? If you’re going out, go out in style with a taste summer ale from Samuel Adams. As you know, it’s always a good decision. Put the burgers on the grill, sear the steaks, and cut up some potatoes. Enjoy the final days of the summer season. -Pat Gallen

Huh – I was just about to post when will Uggla get on his tear? He usually rides this horse for almost a quarter of the season to bring his average up to .250-.260 with close to 30 some hrs… and shlooom!

Picked up a game on a lot of teams in the WC race tonight (almost a perfect scoreboard for us)… Great night. Great way to start this series. Kratz standing up Jones was quite a statement play. There is still fight left in this team.